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'Freak accident' will keep Brodeur out of Devils lineup for 3-4 months

Martin Brodeur extended his reach on a slapshot against the Atlanta Thrashers on Saturday, heard a &quot;pop&quot; in his left elbow and felt a brief but sharp, stabbing pain. Within a minute, he couldn't lift his arm. He knew that wasn't good.

By Kevin McGranSports Reporter

Wed., Nov. 5, 2008

Martin Brodeur extended his reach on a slapshot against the Atlanta Thrashers on Saturday, heard a "pop" in his left elbow and felt a brief but sharp, stabbing pain. Within a minute, he couldn't lift his arm. He knew that wasn't good.

Now one of the NHL's premier goaltenders faces surgery tomorrow to repair the distal biceps in his left elbow, and it will be at least eight weeks before he can begin rehabilitation. He won't be back with the New Jersey Devils for three to four months.

"It's shocking," Brodeur said in a conference call yesterday. "You expect my knee's going to go, or my groin, or my stomach, or something I use as a goalie. I didn't think a biceps could have been a big factor in an injury. That's why I think it's such a freak accident."

It's the first major surgery of the 36-year-old's career. Brodeur has been nothing short of incredibly durable since entering the league full-time in the 1993-94 season, playing a remarkable 87 per cent of the Devils' games since.

He's played fewer than 67 games only twice: his rookie year when he played 47, and the lockout-shortened 1994-95 season when he played 40 of 48 games.

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Brodeur said he saw many specialists and doctors before deciding to proceed with surgery.

"I have some pain in moving my wrist around a little bit because of the tendon being detached from the bone. Nothing crazy," said Brodeur. "That's why I wanted to make sure what we had was a complete tear.

"That's why it took us a while to make a decision and verify with all the specialists. There was no swelling, no discoloration on my skin, no pain."

Brodeur is tantalizingly close to two remarkable goaltending records. Seven more wins will tie him with Patrick Roy's all-time mark of 551; five more shutouts will tie Terry Sawchuk's record of 103, a mark once thought untouchable.

"Hopefully, I'll come back healthy with enough games to be able to reach it (the records) this season," said Brodeur. "Right now, it's way outside my thinking process. I'm excited to be that close. And I know it's a hard thing to do and this just proves it. You have to be healthy to (set career records)."

It's hard to imagine the Devils without Brodeur, whose career 2.20 goals-against average matches Dominik Hasek's mark as the best in the modern era. But Brodeur believes backup Kevin Weekes will be able to carry the load.

"Kevin's just a great sport as far as him not having action but still being involved," said Brodeur. "It's a great opportunity for him to go out and prove himself to be a top goalie. He's going to play (behind) a great team like I did for years."

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